Swing



Oct.

H. F. BE LK SWING Filed July 5. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l I N VENTOR fiaro/d FT Be/k 5 YM/w PM ATTORNEYS Oct. 30 1923. 1,472,578

H. F. BELK SWING Filed July 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Shet 2 A T TQRNE r5:

Patented Get. 39, 1923.

iJNiTE STATES tensit Ara SWING.

Application filed July 3,

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, HAROLD F. BELK, a citizen of the United Sta es, residing at East St. Louis, lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Swings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable otuers skill d in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to swings, and has for its main objectto provide a swing of the type commonly referred to a a rope swing that can be operated easily by the user or users and without the. necessity of requiring some one to push the swing.

Another object is to provide a safe, inexpensive swing that is compact and easy to install 7 7 Briefly stated, my invention consists of a swing composed of a seat, a flexible sus taining means for said seat suspended from n overhead supporting structure, a foot rest supported at one end by a flexible sustaining means and means for suspending the opposite end of said foot rest from said seat in such a manner that the seatwill be caused to swing forwardly when the occupant of same exerts a forward thrust on the foot piece. The swing can be constructed either in the form of a single swing provided with one seat, or constructed in the form of a double swing provided with two seats arranged in such a manner that the occupants of same face each other, as in the conventional lawn swing.

Figure l of the drawings is a perspective view of a double swing constructed in accordance with my invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a single swing constructed in accordance with my invention. I

Referring to Figure l of the drawings which illustrates one form of my invention, Brand A designate two seats arranged in such a manner that the occupants of same face each other, B designates a flexible sustaining means for the seat A composed preferably of two strands of rope, cable or other flexible material connected at their upper ends to an overhead supporting structure and B designates a flexible sustaining means for the seat A consisting of twostrands of rope, cable or the like connected at their upper ends to the same overhead supporting structure Eachof-saidsustain- 1922. Serial No. 572,492.

ing means may consist of a single strand of rope or the like, doubled intermediate its ends and passed through holes in the seat, or it may consist of two separate short strands connected at their upper ends to the supporting structure and at their lower ends to the seat.

The swing comprises a movable foot rest C connected at its opposite ends by swinging links 1 and 1 to the seats A and A,

respectively, and provided with cross pieces by the cross pieces 2 and 2. The swinging linksl and 1 that sustain the foot rest C are pivotally connected at their upper ends A and A and the lower ends of saidlinks are pivotally connected to the foot rest G preferably by upset rods or long rivets-5 that extend transversely through said links and footrest and through tubular spacing members 6 interposed between the angle iron pieces 3 of the foot rest. 1

The swing may be operated either by the occupant of the seat A pushing forwardly on the cros piece 2 so as to exert a forward pull on said seat and on the sustaining members B, thereby imparting a forward stroke to the seat A and a rearward stroke to the seat A, and the occupantof the-seated thereafter pushing forwardly on the cross to brackets 4 on the undersides of theseat-sf piece 2 so as to impart a forward stroke to the seat A and a-rearward stroke to the seat A, or the occupants can grasp'theropes or flexiblesust-ainlng member B and B with their hands and pull rearwardly on same while pushing forwardly on thefcross pieces'of the foot rest "C so as to pump the swing in substantially the same manner that the conventional rope swingis operated.

Preferably, the flexible members'B'that sustain the seat A are connectedto the flex-V ible member B that sustain these/at A by two strands of rope D or the like so as to cause said flexible seat sustaining members to oscillate in unison and also transmit mo tion from the sustaining members B to the sustaining members B" and vice versa, when piece of fabric connected at its lower end to the rear edge of the seat, as shown in l ure 1, and provided atits side with casings 7 through which the flexible seat sustaining members pass, but it is immaterial whether or not the seats are provided with backs.

In Figure 2 of the drawings I have illustrated my invention embodied in a single swing composed of one A, flexible sustaining members ill for said seat, a foot rest equipped with a cross piece 2 and connected at one end to the seat' A by means of links 1 and a flexible member F cons-i ting ot a piece of rope or other suitable erial {or s staining the opposite end. oi inc it'oot piece the member F being connected at its upper end to the overhead supporting structure to which the seat sustaining members B are connected and having its lower end connected to a mess bar 8 fastened to the side pieces 3 of the foot rest C. If desired, flexible members D of rope or the like can be connected to the seat sustaining members l5 and to the flexible foot rest sustaining member F, so as to cause the members F and B to oscillate in unison and also to transmit movement from the members B to the member F and vice versa. The swing illustrated in Figure 2 can be operated in the same manner as the swing illustrated in Figure 1, namely, by pushing forwardly on the cross piece of the toot rest and pulling reai wardly on the seat sustaining members B so as to cause the seat to swing forwardly and rearwardly.

A swing of the construction above described embodies all of the desirable char- :urteristics and features of a lawn swing, but it not as cumbersome and expensive as a lawn" swing. as the seat or seats are sustained by flexible members connected to an overhead supporting structure, and the loot res-st consists of a light-weight frame of skeleton construction that is suspended -from the seats of means or" swinging links. Moreover, such a swing embodies the desirable characteristics of the conventional rope swing, in that the means which sustains the seats consists of strands of rope or the like on which the occupants pull rearwardly to set the swing in operation and keep it in motion, but it is a decided improvement on the conventional rope swing, in that it is of such design thatiit is not necessary to have some one push the swing to keep it in operation. Such a swing can be stored in a small space when it is not in use; it can be easily attached to the ceiling of a room or a porch and it is oi such simple construction that it. can be inainitactinwl and sold at a low cost.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A swing, comprising a seat, flexible sustaining members for said seat connected to an overhead supporting structure, a toot rest suspended at one end from said seat by swinging links, a flexible sustaining means for the opposite end of said t'oot rest connected to said supporting structure, and ropes or the like that join said flexible foot rest sustaining means to said flexible seat sustaining members.

2. A swing, comprising a pair ot stats arranged so that the occupants tare each other. pairs of flexible members tor susaining said seat, a foot rest, a pair of swinging links suspended from each of said seats and pivotally connected to one end of said foot rest, and flexible devices that connect said pairs of sustaining members together.

3. A swing, comprising a pair of seats arranged so that the occupants of same face each other, pairs of flexible sustaining members of said seats connected to an overhead supporting structure, a foot rest composed of longitudinal members and cross pieces that connect said members together, a pair of swinging links depending from each of said seats, tubular spacing devices interposed between the parallel members of the foot rest, and rivets extending through said spacing devices that join said links to the parallel members of the foot rest.

a. A swing, comprising a pair of seats arranged so that the occupants of same face each other, pairs of flexible sustaining mem bers for said seats connected to an overhead supporting structure, a foot rest composed of longituoinal members and cross pi cos that connect said members together, a pair of swinging links depending from each of said seats, tubular spacing devices interposed between the parallel members of the foot rest, rivets extending through said spacing devices that join said links to the parallel members of the foot rest, backs for said seats combined with said seat sustaining members, and flexible devices that connect together the flexible sustaining members of the respective seats. 7

5. A swing, comprising a pair of seats arranged so that the occupants face each other, flexible sustaining members for said seats, a rigid foot rest suspended from said,

seats by swinging links, and flexible devices that join the sustaining members of the respective seats together, for the purpose described.

HAROLD F. BELK. 

